Italy September, any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
 

I am heading to Italy in September for a Family party at Lake Como, but I’m going to be there for 28 days and want to visit Rome, Naples, Siena, Florence, Pisa, Vernazza, Como, Verona and Venice.
I have no idea where to begin. I need help on Accommodation, getting around, places to stay, and things to see and do. There will be three of us traveling together. I’m thinking of flying in to Rome as one of us wants to go to Naples first. Como is going to be towards the end of the trip so probably fly out from Milan. And I pretty much want to see all the touristy stuff.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

I would suggest you start by purchasing a travel guide like Rick Steve's Italy. You are wanting to go to so many places--virtually everywhere. Your itinerary is just not easy due to your going so many cities.
I'd suggest you start in Venice and then move down to Florence via train to spend 3 nights minimum.
Then, spend a few days staying at an agriturismo exploring Tuscany's hill towns by automobile.
From Tuscany, you could drive south to Orvieto, and drop your rental car at the train station. It's a short train ride into Rome for a 4 night minimum.
Naples is 2 hr. fast train ride south of Rome. Most are there to visit Pompeii and catch a bus down to the Amalfi Coast, an hour south.
Then reverse your journey back to Rome by trains and up to La Spezia. There you transfer to regional trains to Vernazza and the Cinque Terre.
From the C/T, you go by train to Milan and Lake Como is a 45 minute train ride north.

Pisa and Siena can be seen as day trips from Florence (about an hour to get to each of them - Pisa by train and Siena by bus). That way you can stay in Florence for several days and not need to pack up and change hotels.

You can get to every place on your list by train.

Look into flying into Naples to avoid a few hours of getting there from Rome. Flying home from Milan is a good option.

With all the places on your list and the amount of time it will take you to move around you won't be able to see "all the touristy stuff." You'll need to prioritize your sightseeing.

I always recommend getting out a very large sheet of paper (or create a table in a word processing program), and make 28 or 30 big boxes. The first box gets filled in with your overnight flight (to Rome?). Then start filling in nights. Maybe a few nights in Rome. Then Naples. Then Florence.

The key is where you will spend nights. The next key is when you will travel - - because travel eats up a half day or more, with packing, getting to the train station, checking in at the next hotel, etc.

That said: do Pisa as a daytrip or as a pass-through on the way to Cinque Terre. Siena can either be a (bus) daytrip from Florence or you can spend a couple nights there.

Getting to Cinque Terre is time-consuming, and is the hard part of stringing together an Italy itinerary. You really have to play with routings and try different things to fit CinqueTerre in best (either as a swing out from Florence then back; or flying up to Venice from the south then looping south then west from there before going up to Milan/Como).

Why two postings?

Etch78, if you click on your name in blue in your original post (or anywhere else on Fodors), a list of threads you started or contributed to will appear.

Well, 28 days are a lot of time, here is a potential i tinerary covering "all the turist stuff" and some off the beaten track jewells:

Venice: 2-3 days, Ferry Boat in Venice + a lot of walking (and maybe a cheap Gondola ride). Of course Rialto, San Marco and Palazzo dei Dogi, but also fancy Museums (Punta della Dogana) and off the beaten track walks . If you are travelling with kids, have a look at a child oriented itinerary. On the third day visit Murano-Torcello- Burano (1 day, ferry).http://www.turismovenezia.it/

2 -Venice >> Milan (stop over in Padova/Vicenza/Verona, if you have enough time). Sleep in Milan or, if you have enough time, go directly to Bellagio (check the Ferry Boat schedules). If you spend the night in Milan, have a fancy Aperitivo .

Milan >>Bellagio, train + boat (2-3 hours), visit Bellagio and a couple of the famous villas on the west branch of Como Lake (1 day - http://wp.me/p3sImA-b0; www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/index.asp;

Bellagio >> Milan >> ” Cinque Terre”. From Milan you have many direct trains (2,5 hours). It’s worth spending 1-2 days at Cinque Terre, but should also visit Portofino + San Fruttuoso: it’s a must! Sestri Levante, right in the middle, could be a good base, otherwise head to Monterosso. Don’t use a car, parking is a nightmare. (2-3 days).

Sestri / “Cinque Terre”- Florence (with a stop over in Pisa / Lucca) – just transfer and light sight seeing. It take a little less than 3 hours to go by train from Sestri to Florence, via Pisa. Lucca is half an hour from Pisa by train (1 day). If you decide to visit also Lucca, you could consider spending the night in one of the two towns (I personally prefer Lucca).

Florence (1-2 days), depending if you are keen on museums or not. Uffizi, Michelangelo’s David (in Galleria dell’accademia, the one in front of Palazzo Vecchio is a copy) , Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce, San Miniato, piazzale Michelangiolo, Via Tornabuoni, Palazzo Pitti, Boboli, Fiesole (20-30 minutes out of town).

Tuscany country side >>> Rome. Chianti, Monteriggioni, Siena, Montalcino, Val d’Orcia, Pienza, Montepulciano (http://wp.me/p3sImA-7T) >>> Rome. (2-3 days, even more if you like the countryside and the good food, better to rent a car). Consider country hoses lodging (www.agriturismo.it)

Rome (3-4 days or more). You don’t want to have a car in Rome; walk + On&Off buses. Bicycles or scooters are fantastic solutions!). Spanish steps, Piazza Navona, Panteon, Fontana di Trevi, Campo dei Fiori, Old Ghetto. St Peter (consider climbing on the Cupola) + Vatican Museum (RESERVE! queues are terrible). Mercati di Traiano, Fori Imperiali (including Orti Farnesiani), Colosseum, Palatino, Aventino. Trastevere + Isola Tiberina (very lively area in summer time, funny & crowded). Appia antica + Catacombs (best by bike, you can rent one in via Appia), medieval Rome and its underground treasures. Villa Adriana and Villa D’Este, both in Tivoli (30 km from Rome) make a pleasant one day trip out of town.

Visit Rome_night_Castel Sant'Angelo from ponte Sant'Angelo_01

Rome >>Naples/Sorrento (2/3 days) Train. You can sleep in Naples or, better, in Sorrento. Visit Pompei, Sorrento, Positano, Ravello, Capri. Naples is also worth a visit. You can use public transports: boat service between Sorrento and Positano is very convenient, while buses, especially to Ravello, could be extremely crowded (consider sharing a taxi with fellow travelers). Renting a car could be an option in high season, but car parks are very expensive (and driving on the costiera is an experience on its own!)

Alternative itinerary (especially in wintertime): get a low cost flight in Rome or Milan, and visit Sicily. Palermo, San Vito lo Capo, Segesta, Agrigento and the Temples Valley, Siracusa, Catania, Taormina.

Resources: railways (www.trenitalia.com; www.italotreno.it),

Hope this help.
Enjoy your stay!

Aside from bobthenavigator you have all been so very helpful. I never expected to recieve so much and such detailed help, you have all been wonderful. Thank you.

You are really a jerk, Etch78.

I suggest you buy a guidebook. DKEyewitness Travel are my favorite. If you're not sure- go to your nearest book store and browse the Travel Dept Italy guides.

Once you've got a better idea about exactly what you want to see, perhaps we can be of more assistance.

With only 28 days (and I'm guessing 2-3 for Como), so 25 travel days, I would suggest no more than 5 places in that time.

So, perhaps Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, CT. (You can certainly do some day trips (Verona from Venice, Pisa from Florence, Siena from Florence). I'd start in Naples and work my way north. You can train from Venice to Lakes for your family event.

Buon viaggio!